“You’re going to break him,” she complained, stumbling blindly into the darkness behind him.
He rounded on her, dark eyes flashing red in the unlit interior. “If only I could be so lucky.”
Bree scowled. “What’s your deal anyway?”
The laser brightness of his gaze grew more intense, signaling that he was moving closer. She stood her ground and lifted her chin even as her heart raced with excitement.
“I’m not sharing you with a droid. Got it?”
She blinked in surprise and then bit back a smile, grateful he couldn’t see it.
“I love your smile,” he purred, moving closer. “Even when it comes at my expense.”
Choking, she took rapid backward steps. Damn! She’d forgotten he could see in the dark.
“No need to make me jealous,” he said softly, the foreign inflection in his words making her nipples hard. “I’m easy.”
At the reminder, she snorted and spun on her heel.
“Hey!” Now he was chasing her.
“Go away, Alex.”
She shrieked as her feet left the deck and she was swung up into his arms.
“Don’t be mad at me, sweetness,” he said, nuzzling her throat. “I can service you much better than a droid could.”
“No doubt,” she said petulantly. “With your experience.”
He moved down the corridor, walking straight past her room. “Isn’t my experience something you want?”
Bree glared at him. “Stay out of my head, captain.”
“Call me Alexei, like you do in your thoughts.”
“Listen…” she began, but then fell silent as they entered the dining area. Turning her head, she gazed around the room and her mood switched from irritation to blossoming pleasure. The mess hall, normally a stark utilitarian space with metal bulkheads, chairs and tables, was transformed. “Wow,” she breathed.
A small table set for one was draped in a multitude of colorful scarves and softly lit by dimmed overhead lights. She inhaled the luscious scent of curried Tolan fowl and her mouth watered.
“Do you like it?”
Looking up at him, she was arrested by his boyish, hopeful smile. Black, silky hair fell across his forehead framing his exotically handsome face with its sensual lips and thickly lashed eyes. She was suddenly aware of the way her right breast was pressed against his chest and how her hip rested against the rippling expanse of his abdomen.
“Oh yeah, I like it.” She wasn’t talking about the food. And he knew it.
“Good.” Alex carried her to her seat and set her down.
“Shouldn’t I change?”
“Unless you’re offering to lose the sheet, the answer is no.”
Holding back a grin at his arrogance, Bree admired the seductive grace with which the vamp took the seat next to her. Dressed in a deep red torso-hugging vest and loose flowing pants, Alexei Night was the epitome of flamboyant male sex appeal.
“Drakish,” he said in answer to her unspoken question about his heritage. “On my mother’s side.” Lifting the lid on the warming pot, he ladled her food into the shallow bowl in front of her before relaxing.
“That explains your coloring. I’ve never seen such beautiful skin on a vampire before. It’s very appealing.”
“Would you like to see more of it?” he asked solicitously, his long fingers reaching for the single button that held the flaps of his vest together.
She gave a breathless laugh. “Behave.”
“Why?” Sprawling loose-limbed in the chair, he reached for the glass in front of him and then draped the arm that held it over the backrest, canting his body toward her. The pose caused one side of his vest to gape open, affording her an unhindered view of his powerful pecs. The air around them was thick and humid with his blatant sexuality. Her mouth watered.
Swallowing hard, Bree forced her gaze away. She had a goal and she was sticking to it, even if her pussy disagreed by throbbing and growing damp. “Curried fowl is my favorite.”
“I know.” The deep tone of his voice swept across her skin and left goose bumps in its wake.
“Did you read that in my mind too?” she asked, reaching for the spoon.
“No, I read it in your bio in the Council database.”
“Really?” She stared at him. “It has such personal stuff in there?”
“Really.” He took a sip and wrinkled his nose. As he righted his goblet, she watched the way the viscous liquid clung to the side of the glass.
She had yet to meet a vamp who didn’t dislike the taste of stored blood. “No groupies?”
Alex chuckled at her irreverent reference to the vamp followers that offered their blood in return for sexual pleasure. Most vamps had one or two with them at all times. Highly sexual beings by nature, vampires relished the opportunity to have fresh blood and easily accessible orgasms. “Not on this trip, no.”
“You’re either a masochist or awfully sure of yourself where I’m concerned.??
“‘If one believes strongly in a cause, one should dedicate themselves to it fully. By leaving room for failure, you invite it to occur.’”
Briana stared. She’d given that speech last year at the dedication of the new vampire embassy built adjacent to Council headquarters. “I’ve never had someone quote me to my face before.”
“Does that bother you?” he asked, twirling his goblet by the stem.
She shook her head. “No. Actually, I’m really flattered.” Scooping up some curry, she brought it to her lips. The richly spiced broth exploded with flavor in her mouth and she moaned her appreciation. “You’ve got a great cooking unit. Most can’t get the curry ratio right.”
“I don’t have a cooking unit.”
She frowned. “You don’t?”
“What would I do with one?”
“Oh yeah…”
He must have cooked the meal himself then. After researching her favorite foods. Her stomach fluttered and she set her spoon down. “What do you want from me, captain? Blood? Sex? Both? And why go to all of this trouble?”
Alex studied the contents of his glass with undue attention. “Does my occupation bother you?”
Bree tucked the sheet tighter between her breasts and avoided his question as he’d avoided hers. “Does my occupation bother you? Considering what I do for a living, does it make you uncomfortable to have me on board?”
“No.” He took another drink. “I admire you, Briana. I respect you and the strength of your convictions. Even if you championed a different cause I would still feel the same.” The quiet dignity of his tone told her he was serious.
She bit her lower lip before asking, “What do you transport? Usually.”
“Illegal aliens, contraband goods, Council Reps.”
“Ha ha. Funny. What about drugs? Weapons?”
He was silent for a long time, so long she wondered if he was going to answer. Standing, Alexei drained his glass, set it down and moved to the window. “Would smuggling those items affect your decision to take me to your bed?”
“Yes.”